Cake Tuesday: oak leaves.

Fall continues here on Cake Tuesday (despite the 85-degree days we're having), as does my chocolate wrap fixation. (Seriously, delivering a cake to a beach wedding this weekend, I saw people SUNBATHING, and SWIMMING WITHOUT WETSUITS, which is sort of unheard of ANY time of year here, certainly in mid-November.)

At any rate, we're all still embracing the calendar season, regardless. This gorgeous wedding, at one of my all-time favorite venues, had rustic boxes of apple varieties on each table, and oak leaves and acorns playing a prominent role in the wedding materials.

The cake was bittersweet chocolate with a lemon curd buttercream, wrapped in bittersweet chocolate. The leaves and acorns were all cut and formed by hand, with the acorns a slightly lighter gold than their tops, and the leaves a mix of gold and copper. I have this great wooden pedestal stand I got years ago through the Martha Stewart website, and I've been looking for ages for an additional one and can't find it anywhere. I paint this one all sorts of colors to match different weddings - here the gold brightened the dark wood corner and really helped tie the cake into the rest of the room.

The couple hired terrific photographers, so hopefully I can link to some much better pictures soon!

Judith Martin would be frowning in my direction.

I blink and the months are gone, and I can't believe I haven't said this yet - THANK YOU.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, to all the wonderful readers/clients/family/friends/friends-of-friends who took the time to vote for me in the Bay Area Best contest this fall. Your efforts paid off, and I'm officially the Bay Area's Best for wedding cakes this year. An extra-special thank you to Pam, who put up with a lot of b.s. that she didn't need or deserve. One really neat outcome has been hearing from other bakers in the area - I even got a congratulations from the UNBELIEVABLY talented and nationally-recognized Susan Morgan of Elegant Cheesecakes, and we're supposed to meet for coffee at some point - that's almost better than winning the contest.

Next thing I've been remiss about - the remodel. Let's see - last time we checked in, I told you upper cabinets and counters were coming. So. First the upper cabinets:

Here are those cool old windows from Urban Ore (that I thought I wrote about awhile ago but now I can't find the entry...) that we found for the cabinet doors, and the beadboard on the hood which we rescued from the original kitchen when it was removed.

And here they are, all spruced up and painted. It would have been great to leave everything stained, but the windows were in terrible shape and there was too much wood putty and filler to have them come out looking pretty. So I painted the interior of the cabinets a super-dark grey/green to really let the Craftsman detailing on the windows shine.

Then the counters. Here's the slab before it was cut (doesn't it look like a painting?):

And here's the finished countertop:

The disposal button sort of detracts from that authentic, "built in the 20s" thing we were going for, but there wasn't really a good spot for a switch once the new window took over the entire wall, so we sucked it up.

And this is still a disposal, and not a food grinder, and it would behoove everyone to understand the difference. Especially those people who might be inclined (say, when preparing a sit-down dinner for 12, and peeling many, many bunches of asparagus(es? i?)) to shove the peelings of said bunches down the disposal. WHICH IS NOT A FOOD GRINDER.

Imagine doing this. Now imagine, just before your guests arrive, that the sink mysteriously backs up, and it's pouring rain, and the plumber can't come until Monday, and you have to wash all of your dinnerware, flatware, and stemware (because remember, you don't have a dishwasher), service for 12, in your bathtub.

That was a good lesson to learn.

Cake Tuesday: chocolate circles.

Squeaking in under the wire for Cake Tuesday! I hope you had a very peaceful Veteran's Day.

This cake was a fun, colorful, unusual design that completely matched the two fun, colorful, unusual couples in this double ceremony. The bottom tier was red velvet, and weighed approximately one thousand pounds all by itself. (It's much larger than it looks.)

Chocolate wrap is one of my favorite cake finishes - polished and decadent and delicious. (All the things you want in your wedding, yes?)

ramblings about ramblings.

I know it's Thursday and I'm still recovering from last weekend. On Halloween we saw the 1925 Lon Cheney "Phantom of the Opera", shown on a screen over the stage while Dennis James, the SF Symphony organist, played the score underneath. I'd never actually seen the film before - Dennis told stories of when it was first released, when it was one of the scariest things anyone had ever seen, and how nurses were hired as part of the studio's publicity package to wait in the aisles for people who fainted or had heart problems. It WAS scary in parts, and exceedingly campy in parts, and lots of the audience was in costume. At the very end somehow Dennis had managed to put a scary mask over his ENTIRE head WHILE he was playing, and when the lights came up he whirled around and startled everyone. Then he threw the bouquet of roses into the audience, and I caught the first one!

The next morning we left before dawn to fly to Boise to see Drew's grandmother, Frances. We'd heard that she was failing and we should get up there quickly, so we did. And she was terrific - laughing at our jokes, interested in the upcoming election, very alert and positive. We took her to her country club for dinner; while we're sad that our favorite restaurant in Boise has closed, we're happy that the chef moved to Frances' club - the food was fantastic.

Her primary mode of mobility is a wheelchair now, which is a change from our last visit. But she seems fine with it - Sunday we pushed her around the park for a couple of hours, collecting fall leaves and watching the flocks of geese and ducks. I baked her a cherry pie that afternoon before we left, and we promised to see her again in December.

Then Monday night we saw She and Him at Bimbo's 365 in San Francisco (the excitement never stops). I LOVE Matt Ward, and pretty much anything he touches is golden. They've only got one CD out, so it was a pretty short set, but Zooey Deschanel has a really strong voice for being so tiny and cute, and it was a fun show.

Tuesday was, well, Tuesday. I have to say that at this moment I'm proud to be from North Carolina (not traditionally the bluest of states), and I'm not quite as proud to be a Californian. It's a truly thrilling, historically significant time for the country - for the whole world - but Prop 8 is putting a distinct pall over my happiness. This is a civil rights issue, plain and simple. Remember when women didn't have the right to vote? When interracial marriage was a crime? No, of course you don't, because these things have been recognized as basic civil rights. And our basic civil rights as Americans should extend to all of our citizens - that's why our forefathers LEFT their homes and founded this country of freedom. Period.

Anyway. We'll see what happens. Another fun week of adventure and travel ahead - house pictures soon.

Cake Tuesday: dogwood.

I could beg off another Cake Tuesday, and tell you that voting is much more important than reading blogs, but you're probably as sick of hearing about it as I am, and I'm sure that anyone reading has already voted. (Still, it was inspiring to hear on NPR this morning about people standing in lines of HUNDREDS, waiting to cast their votes - yeay, democracy!) So.

I mentioned the dogwood blossoms last week, and here they are:

It was tricky, because the bride wanted the design to match her invitation paper, which was embossed - the edges were blue while the centers were ivory. So after hand cutting and pressing each piece, I had to take a tiny brush and add the color, but not too much. Aiee. The larger blue flowers really popped against the delicate design:

For a fall wedding, the room felt very fresh and clean - Mission Ranch has deep red trim, but it actually disappeared behind (rather than clashed with) the wedding colors. And the cake itself was LOTS of different flavors and fillings and frostings, and it was wonderful to hear from the bride how much her guests enjoyed it.

jeez-louise.

(Do people named Louise HATE that phrase?) I'm so full of news I don't know where to begin, and am simultaneously up to my elbows in four different colors of paint and mountains of tile. Aiee.

And the storage thingy for my computer is deader than dead, and I don't have access to any of my photos or contracts or ANY information, so you'll have to wait for new pictures. Including those of cakes, which, there have been some good ones and you'll love them. Cake Tuesday wouldn't really have worked without photos, I think. ("Let me tell you about this really neat-o cake, four ivory tiers, round, sugar dogwoods in blue, yawn blah blah yawn...") So. Other news.

1. My hair, which I thought would be fun to darken for fall, is now purple. "Chocolate-y brown", for some hair people, apparently translates as "purple". And I loathe it. Ever since Danielle, who I saw for many many years and loved every single cut and color, moved to Hawaii, I have been crankily searching for a replacement. (And Danielle, I've told you before, and it still stands - I KNOW you come to town to visit your pals and I will pay you WHATEVER YOU WANT to do my hair. Seriously.) And now it's purple with white spots, because I keep hitting my head on the ceiling where I'm painting, rendering it even more lovely.

2. We saw David Sedaris at the Civic on Sunday night, the same venue where we saw him a couple of years ago. He's still terrific, despite recent reviews suggesting his material is stale and he's coasting. He often asks random teenagers he meets before his performances to introduce him. And two years ago, this very confident, cute, funny girl in a pig hat came on stage and everyone fell in love with her (including, apparently, David Sedaris). Near the end of his show on Sunday night, he talked about how impressed he had been with her, and how everywhere he's gone since he's hoped to meet a kid as cool as the Santa Cruz kid. Of course she was in the audience, and was urged to come up and say hi during the post-show book signing, lucky girl.

3. I'm pointedly trying to avoid anything political - the fact that this blog is tied to a (relatively) professional website means I should probably avoid voicing any potentially inflammatory opinions about anything. But I am so looking forward to next Tuesday it's frankly a little hard to concentrate on anything else. (Am I allowed to say that the "Wassup 2008" video is one of the most surprising, moving political ads I've seen? Who knew that a way-too-overused phrase from an 8-year-old ad campaign could come back and bring tears to your eyes?)

That's enough news for one post - I've got to get back to my paint roller before it dries out.

Cruzin'.

It's been an eternity since I've written about anything food-related. There are lots of great restaurants in Santa Cruz, but it's been a busy summer and the remodel has caused a lot of thinking along the lines of "Food? Or flooring?"

Last week, though, 62 business women got together for eating, drinking, and general merriment downtown, participating in a progressive dinner. One of my favorite people (and a fellow southerner, to boot) puts it together every year, and over the course of five hours we visited some terrific local spots.

Starting at the Museum of Art and History, we were treated to wine and hors d'oeuvres on their lovely patio, with piano accompaniment from the lobby inside. After everyone arrived we wandered to Fusion (formerly Pearl Alley), which has undergone some light changes but still seems like a good solid dining choice. We were served (as was always the case at Pearl Alley) a small, freshly baked loaf of salted bread with olive oil, and a generous bowl of delicate butternut squash soup. We took over the entire restaurant, and while I heard a few complaints later that it was too noisy, it seemed like everyone had a great time (and please - put SIXTY TWO women in ANY room and tell me it's going to be quiet?).

Moving on to Annieglass, a number of us got to wear some of the gorgeous jewelry they carry while we wandered the store. I have a couple of Annieglass cake plates, and I love all of her dinnerware. She recently came out with a really cool line of platinum and gold flower blossoms - less formal than her traditional stuff:

The pianist showed up here, too, and we were treated to champagne and a mango sorbet before we headed off to 515 for the main course. 515's gotten a lot of mixed reviews, and while I have been here before when the service has been s-l-o-w, our servers have always been friendly and the food is quite good.

During this portion of the evening several women stood up to speak about their (generally positive) experiences downtown. For those of you not familiar with our little town, it's got more than its share of homeless people, and (not necessarily related, but another deterrent to females) criminal activity at night seems to be on the rise. So this event was sort of a way for women who might not normally come downtown at all to see that we've got plenty of stuff that's worthwhile. Deputy Police Chief Patty Sapone was in attendance, and spoke enthusiastically about the department's ongoing efforts to keep people safe.

We concluded the night at Soif, hands-down one of my favorite spots in the area. The food is excellent, from their small plates (manchego stuffed piquillo peppers! roasted fingerling potatoes with aioli!) to their seasonal, flavorful entrées. The flights of wine are generally top notch and consistently educational, and they make a point of not focusing on California wines, which we tend to get overloaded with around here.

My pick from the dessert selections for our group was a warm bread pudding (with berries, not raisins, for those of you who have seen me in this t-shirt), served with a delicious dessert wine.

All in all it was a great evening - wonderful food, wonderful wine, wonderful women - hopefully we won't have to wait a year to gather again.